Page:Canadian Alpine Journal I, 1.djvu/25

12 third of a century since my feet lightly trod for the first time the region of the mighty mountains, when I willingly accepted my first lessons in mountaineering.

It was in 1871 that the mountain region north of the 49th parallel became part of Canada. The importance of connecting British Columbia with the eastern provinces was at once recognized, and the stupendous task of building a railway from ocean to ocean was undertaken. Having been appointed engineer-in-chief, my duties soon led me to the mountains, and I have returned to them again and again, always with the same keen appreciation of their grandeur. My purpose here is to recall the past and revivify some of the impressions formed from personal observation, before the mountain region was made accessible to the people of the world by the completion of the Canadian Pacific railway. With this end in view, I do not think I can do better than select illustrations from the records of my early journeys. I purpose, then, to submit a brief reference to some scenes and incidents still fresh in my memory, under the following headings:
 * 1) The Yellow Head Pass—1872.
 * 2) The Kicking Horse Pass—1883.
 * 3) The Rogers Pass—1883.
 * 4) The First Through Train—1885.

My overland expedition of 1872 left Halifax on July 1st. We reached Prince Arthur's Landing (now Port Arthur) twenty-one days later. Following the route of the fur-traders, and travelling for the most part by canoe, we arrived at Fort Garry (now Winnipeg) on August 1st. Procuring horses, we crossed the plains to Edmonton; thence, after an exceedingly toilsome journey, we came under the protection of the Rocky mountains. It had taken from August 28th to the night of September 9th to reach the mountains